Key Largo 2023

 There are so many things I love about being in Florida for the winter besides not having snow. I love getting up just a little early and watching the sunrise. Now I don't look east for that. The condo faces west but the sky brightens gradually with soft purples and pinks and changes to a pale yellow until finally, if there are any clouds they turn a brilliant white. No clouds? The sky is a deep blue. Of course all of that is reflected in the waters of Florida Bay.

A few days after our arrival the moon was full which meant that there would be the little bioluminescent worms swimming around a couple of nights later.(See Fireworms of Florida Bay).  We found them but there were not as many as in the past. 

A lot of the plentiful marine animals we used to find seemed to be scarce since Irma hit the keys in 2017. There used to be hundreds of upside down jellyfish around the dock and a lot of colorful tropical fish, a few lobster and horseshoe crabs. We did manage to find quite a large sea snail one day.

We were afraid there were fewer manatees but eventually they appeared and while my manatee picture looks more like a crocodile in the water I assure you, it is a manatee. 

Speaking of crocodiles, the word is out that we have one roaming the area. We've seen some in the little lagoon where we've kayaked but never around the shore by the condos. Word is that a little dog got snatched. Bob says it's an urban legend. Whatever the case, there are signs posted to be aware of your surroundings because of alligators. Alligators however are more fresh water animals so I think they mean crocodiles since Florida Bay is brackish water--a mix of salt water and the fresh water flowing down from the Everglades.

We'll continue to look for our lobster around the rocks (hope no one ate him) and keep an eye out for the occasional dolphins that pass by. The osprey is still here and fishing everyday by our dock. He's pretty good and we see him fly by the window with his catch in his claws mornings and afternoons. Yummy.